A recent video story, “Living on food stamps” by McKenna Ewen (3/17/12), features OSP members Cicely and Scott Thompson and their children. Through their experience, they illustrate the predicament of so many Americans that Occupy Saint Paul speaks out for.

Both Scott and Cicely are known for their ability to speak publicly, helping voice the concerns of those who are otherwise silenced through fear and feelings of powerlessness. Their story is that of millions of Americans: a daily struggle for basic family needs while never losing hope that through determination and teamwork, they still have a chance to not live in poverty.

Occupy Saint Paul encourages the conversation of public officials as well as individuals to focus on the realities these families face, rather than the misconceptions and stereotyping that so often takes place within our media and society. By reflecting on these truths, we might better understand those in our community that need our support instead of our criticisms.

OSP is currently gaining momentum in the Saint Paul community and is comprised of citizens who stand in solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street movement. The unifying message of #OccupySaintPaul is to Return Government to We the People. For more information or to get involved, contact workinggroups@occupysaintpaul.org or visit www.occupysaintpaul.org.

On Thursday night I took a Greyhound down to St Louis to participate
in the Occupy the Midwest Regional Convergence. When I arrived at 2 pm
on Friday March 16, I found out about the police attack the night
before. Nick Rogue of Rogue Media and Occupy Minneapolis was one of
fifteen people beaten and arrested by police as they attacked the OMW
encampment on the night of the 15th. Three Occupiers were hospitalized
with injuries.

Police presence was heavy throughout the Convergence, including
helicopter surveillance of our GAs, jamming of our livestream
coverage, undercover police filming demonstrations, police vehicles
constantly circling our safe house and meeting sites, and large
numbers of police armed with batons at our marches and actions.
Although there were no more violent attacks after that first night,
there was a clear sense that police were attempting to create an
atmosphere of overwhelming surveillance and intimidation. Despite this
fact, Occupiers from 20 different Occupations proceeded with numerous
actions, teach-ins and strategy sessions.

I participated in the actions against Peabody Coal and Wells Fargo,
and was present for the marches on Friday night and Saturday
afternoon. The Friday night march was a direct response to the police
violence of the previous night. This march was not endorsed by OMW.
Instead it was organized by members of local anarchist collectives and
included a large Black Bloc contingent. This march was highly
controversial and had a strong potential for a clash with police, so I
participated strictly as citizen media, taking photos for an Occupy
newsletter rather than joining in the march as such. Despite the anger
at the violent assaults on Occupiers by the St. Louis PD, there was no
violence or property destruction as a result of this march. 

In the actions at Wells Fargo and the St. Patrick’s day march on
Saturday, I participated as a bodyguard for the citizen media. This is
an innovative new tactic introduced at OMW after livestreamers were
singled out and assaulted by police on Thursday night. The idea is to
assign one or two bodyguards to every media person. The job of the
bodyguard is not to physically protect the media person as this would
not be plausible. Instead, the bodyguards are supposed to follow the
media people and continuously watch what is going on in order to warn
them when police are approaching so they can move away and keep
filming. This tactic was a complete success- when the marchers were
kettled by police during the St. Patrick’s Day march, several media
people (including the one I was assigned to) successfully evaded the
kettle and were able to keep streaming. We should definitely bring
this tactic to Minnesota, because the media people are vital to what
we do and keeping them safe helps us to get our message out.

The level of police surveillance and repression at this event was far
beyond anything I had experienced at any event here in Minnesota. This
event vividly illustrated for me what living in a police state would
really be like. Despite this fact, we were able to keep doing what we
do by being innovative and not losing heart. OMW was a huge success
for the Occupy movement. I met Occupiers from Missouri, Oklahoma,
Chicago, Oakland, Boston, Australia and many other places. The OMW GA
endorsed multiple events and proposals which will come to fruition in
the next few months. The “spring offensive” has begun!

New Report by Scott Thompson                                                                                  Occupy Saint Paul Committee of Correspondence

News report from Mark Taylor-Canfield, The Huffington Post (posted 03/16/2012 12:45 pm):

Activists in St. Louis for a national Occupy convention were arrested Thursday night while leaving a park where the city had denied permission for them to camp.

Some 600 people from all over the US are gathering in the midwest city for the second major national conference of the Occupy Wall Street movement. Scheduled events include workshops, discussions, general assemblies and a march to the famous Gateway Arch on the Mississippi River.

Organizers of the three-day Midwest Occupy Conference claim that conference participants were subjected to police brutality and that their First Amendment rights were violated when law enforcement officers with batons aggressively attacked a group of 150 demonstrators who were marching out of Compton Hill Reservoir Park at 10:48 p.m. on March 15… – continued

Occupy Saint Paul supports this event and encourages all those involved with activism to consider attending. Our “Thank You” to WAMM for opening this opportunity to the public!

The Gifts of Uncertain Times: Getting the Support You Need to Keep On Keeping On
Kaia Svien

Saturday, March 17, noon-2pm,
Sabathani Center, 310 E. 38th St., Rm. D

Kaia Svien will help us explore the role emotional intelligence plays in our activism. She will lead us in exercises on listening and sharing, personal storytelling and small group conversations about ways to sustain ourselves as we go forward. This restorative process is based on Johanna Macy’s work on open-hearted resiliency. WAMM members have found Kaia’s work to be deeply self-renewing.  A fine St. Patrick’s Day gift to your Self!

Kaia is a member of Women Against Military Madness and has been teaching Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction for 16 years.

Sponsored by WAMM Occupy support group.
Free. For info call WAMM 612-827-5364.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date:  March 12, 2012

From:  Occupy Saint Paul

Contact:  media@occupysaintpaul.org

Why are 300 Corporations writing Minnesota laws? Demonstration to be held on Tuesday, March 13th, 4 pm. on the South Steps of the capitol, Minnesota Legislature, Saint Paul, Minnesota.

Continuing last year’s theme, Occupy Saint Paul will hold a demonstration in conjunction with Occupy Minneapolis, US Uncut Minnesota, Move to Amend and other organizations and individuals on Tuesday at the Minnesota State Capitol to denounce the corporatist policies of the American Legislative Exchange Council (“ALEC”).

Over 100 demonstrators are expected to make speeches and denounce the infiltration of the Minnesota State Legislature by corporatists who have called for everything from massive social service cuts, gutting the EPA, privatizing all prisons, voter ID laws, right to work and collective bargaining laws as well as unfair redistricting.

Occupy Saint Paul is a true grass roots organization dedicated to stopping corporate abuse and the government’s propencity to favor the 1% with tax laws and loopholes, and ALEC is a representation by the rich that they intend to dictate state policy via our legislature.  Only citizen participation will end the numerous abuses.

The Koch brothers, Grover Nordquist, Karl Rove and other corporate interests run the American Legislative Exchange Council, creating hundreds (over 800) of pieces of cookie cutter (also known as cut and paste) legislation.  These “bills” have been exposed by a whistleblower who supplied them to the Center for Media and Democracy.

Resistance to ALEC is growing exponentially around the United States as people find out how the 3,000 legislators involved in ALEC are given perks, vacations, election funding in order to push forward regressive (anti-people) legislation.

Arizona’s SB1070 legislation morphed into Voter ID laws nationwide, including in Minnesota.

Governor Mark Dayton says he will veto all ALEC legislation, but Occupy Saint Paul wants to ensure that ALL ALEC legislation gets vetoed, not just the obvious ones, as the ALEC agenda is far reaching.

The most insidious ALEC legislation involves privatization of prisons, whereby ALEC is working with Whackenhut, Corrections Corporation of America, Training and Management Corporation and The Geo Group.  The goal is to criminalize innocent people for the sheer sake of profits creating a permanent money machine for corporate owners.

Our demands include:

(1) Recall of all (30 of 37 are known) ALEC members in Minnesota;

(2) Getting true ethics oversight in the State of Minnesota for right-wing groups posing as public interest charities.  The Ethics Committee ruled in 1999 that ALEC is NOT a charity and should be paying taxes.  We want complete and open government accountability of legislators, State employees and their families taking ALEC funds;

(3) An end to creative accounting by Legislators such as Mary Kiffmeyer, who funded her husband’s ALEC vacation by putting the funds given into her election account; and

(4) Full notification to Governor Mark Dayton concerning ALEC legislation.   We want total oversight accomplished during this legislative session.

This is a moral issue; CORPORATIONS are writing the laws, as all ALEC legislation must have corporate approval before being added to the warehouse of bills in their website.

Last year’s gutting of LGA monies (local government grants) was ALEC’s attempt to bankrupt the Main Streets of our small communities, which would lead to foreclosure trustees, ala Michigan. This year, right to work laws, voter ID laws and illogical redistricting plans are on the front burner.

For further information on ALEC, see:

www.USuncutMN.blogspot.com

www.bluestemprairie.com

www.PRwatch.org

www.pfaw.org

www.alecexposed.org

www.alexwatch.org

www.Dailykos.com

www.crooksandliars.com

For Immediate Release

TO: Editor
DATE: March 11, 2012
RE: Rally at the Capitol Against Money in Politics and ALEC on March 13

Occupy Saint Paul will be joining Occupy Minneapolis and USuncutMN for a rally
against the influence of money in politics this Tuesday, March 13th,
from 3 to 6pm, on the steps of the State Capitol (75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Saint Paul).  Join us in one of the defining political battles of our time, the fight to get corporate money out of politics.

Corporations use ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council) to work around the rules governing lobbying and transparency and produce bills for state governments.  These bills ALWAYS serve the corporate interest.  They then use money to coerce the politicians in state level governments to ensure that these bills
become part of the conservative agenda.  In a time of economic crises,
and unprecedented political obstructionism, the corporate interest
will always be served in your state government.  Meanwhile, the needs
of people are served only when it is politically convenient.

ALEC is the author of numerous bills designed to increase corporate
profits at the expense of the people, including the “Voter ID”
bill and “Right to Work” laws.

We are calling on all citizens to fight with us to put the government
back into the hands of the people.

Speakers will include:

Representatives from AFSCME
Jack Nelson Pallmeyer, for MNASAP
Mike Dean, for Common Cause
Mike Cavlin, for the Green Party
Liz Loeb, opponent of “Voter ID” laws
Michael Katch, for the Independence Party

And More!

OSP is currently gaining momentum in the Saint Paul community and is comprised of citizens who stand in solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street movement. The unifying message of #OccupySaintPaul is to Return Government to We the People. For more information or to get involved, contact workinggroups@occupysaintpaul.org or visit www.occupysaintpaul.org.

OSP and Occupy Minneapolis Unite in Solidarity Rally

The New York General Assembly of Occupy Wall Street has endorsed a plan for mass action on Tuesday, February 28 against the suppression of the Occupy movement. They are calling for Occupies around the country to march in solidarity with them on
that date. Last night, members of the Occupy Saint Paul Committee of Correspondence attended the All-Committees Meeting of Occupy Minneapolis to discuss the planning of a joint action in solidarity with New York.

At 4:30 pm on Tuesday, February 28, Occupy Minneapolis and Occupy Saint Paul will rally together at The People’s Plaza, which is located at 300 South 6th Street in
Minneapolis. We will hear from a few speakers and then march in
solidarity with other Occupies around the country to demand an end to
the suppression of the Occupy Movement.

This is the first-ever joint action planned by both Occupy Saint Paul and Occupy Minneapolis together. It is also a crucial national action endorsed by Occupy Wall Street in New York, and they are counting on local Occupies such as ours to
give their own rally additional impact. For these reasons, we’d like
to make a personal appeal–even if you’ve never attended a direct
action before, even if you have attended actions in the past but have
not been active recently, please join us for this one!

OSP encourages all Occupiers to spread the word and bring as many friends as possible to this extremely important event.

For additional information on this national event, please visit

www.dontsuppressows.org/

OSP is currently gaining momentum in the Saint Paul community and is
comprised of citizens who stand in solidarity with the Occupy Wall
Street movement. The unifying message of #OccupySaintPaul is to Return
Government to We the People. For more information or to get involved,
visit www.occupysaintpaul.org.

Update: Due to the probable blizzard on the 29th, Occupy Minneapolis’ Rally
Against ALEC and the Influence of Money in Politics has been
rescheduled for the 13th of March, from 3-6pm.  Please spread the word
and watch for further updates.

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/#!/events/380013732027716/
Twitter: OccupyMplsF29

From Scott Thompson, OSP Committee of Correspondence (coc@occupysaintpaul.org):

There’s an important action against ALEC at the Capitol in Saint Paul
on February 29, starting at 4pm:

www.occupymn.org/ai1ec_event/protest-of-alec-and-corporate-money-in-politics/?instance_id=17

Minnesota State Capitol
75 Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard.
St Paul,MN

This is part of Occupy Portland’s F29 Shut Down the Corporations
National Day of Action:

“Occupy Portland calls for a national day of non-violent civil
disobedience targeting corporations who are members of ALEC, one of
the most successful mechanisms that the 1% uses to control
legislation. We are asking people around the country to choose members
of ALEC in their home towns and SHUT DOWN BUSINESS AS USUAL.”

Note: This is a separate action from the F28 “Don’t Suppress OWS”
action at 4:30 on February 28 at the People’s Plaza. Please do anything you can to support both!

OSP is currently gaining momentum in the Saint Paul community and is comprised of citizens who stand in solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street movement. The unifying message of #OccupySaintPaul is to Return Government to We the People. For more information or to get involved, visit www.occupysaintpaul.org

Occupy Saint Paul will join efforts on March 1, 2012 at the state Capitol to send the message to Minnesota’s legislature that we oppose the cuts to education budgets while providing for cororate loopholes and tax breaks for the top 1% of income earners in the state. We will meet at the western steps near Park St. and University Ave. at noon and will continue our rally until 1:00 pm.

All parents, teachers, grandparents, families and concerned people should make every effort to attend this important event. We have seen Minnesota schools forced to borrow and cut back on their budgets while class sizes rise and parents are forced to spend out of pocket money for students to participate in all learning activities.

The continued tone-deafness of the state’s legislatures puts in jeopardy the fact that Minnesota has repeatedly been recognized as a leader in educational standards. Minnesota is one of only ten states granted a waiver from the “No Child Left Behind” program through offering an alternative that does a better job toward preparing Minnesota’s students for the challenges they will face in their future.

Join us March 1 as we say “Pay Back Our Kids!”

OSP is currently gaining momentum in the Saint Paul community and is comprised of citizens who stand in solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street movement. The unifying message of #OccupySaintPaul is to Return Government to We the People. For more information or to get involved, visit www.occupysaintpaul.org

CONTACT INFO: media@occupysaintpaul.org

On February 21, conservative activist and lobbyist Grover Norquist spoke at White Bear Lake’s Chamber of Commerce luncheon in Vadnais Heights, Minnesota. The cost was $25 per person, with an estimated 50 to 75 in attendance.

Norquist is the founder and president of Americans for Tax Reform, which advocates no tax increase while lowering taxes for top wage earners and corporations. Norquist is also a member of the Council for Foreign Relations. He is the son of a vice president of the Polaroid Corporation, graduating high school to immediately enroll at Harvard, where he obtained both BA and MBA degrees.

Often described by members of both parties as an obstacle to deficit reduction, Steve Kroft, in a 60 Minutes episode that aired on November 20, 2011, claimed that “Norquist has been responsible, more than anyone else, for rewriting the dogma of the Republican Party.” As if guarding the cookie jar from Cookie Monster, Grover protects the wealth of his supporters, refusing to reveal any who contribute to ATR.

A small group of 8-10 protesters came to the event, but the local police kept them on the public sidewalk about 150 feet from the entrance doors. This allowed little opportunity for communication between protesters and those attending the luncheon. Protester signs tended toward “tax the rich” and “fairness in taxes” themes, and some of the passing traffic acknowledged their presence with horns or waves of support. But it sent the clear message that the “Taxpayer Protection Pledge” is viewed by many a nothing more than a gift to the rich.

News Report by Neil Fagerhaugh
Occupy Saint Paul Writer
(Edited by OSP Media)